PNP waiting for ‘Bikoy’s extrajudicial confession
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Mon, 27 May 2019 08:32:57 +0000
PETER Joemel Advincula alias ‘Bikoy’
The Philippine National Police (PNP) revealed Monday that Peter Joemel Advincula alias “Bikoy” has yet to submit his extrajudicial confession since he left Camp Crame over the weekend.
Police General Oscar Albayalde, PNP chief, said they could not initiate a “formal” investigation unless Advincula could substantiate the statements he gave tagging Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the Liberal Party in the supposed “Project Sodoma” ouster plot.
“As of this time, he has yet to give his [extrajudicial confession]. Probably if he would return and he’s willing to give one through his counsel, then we’ll gladly take his extrajudicial confession,” Albayalde told reporters.
However, Albayalde said they have started to look into the allegations of Advincula and, in fact, created an investigating team to probe his allegations.
“We’re preparing for that [investigation]. We have a dedicated team from the CIDG [Criminal Investigation and Detection Group] that will handle that but until he gives his sworn statement, then we can’t start,” he noted.
According to the PNP chief, they could not just take Advincula’s statements last week as a basis for a formal investigation since he has to provide physical and documentary evidence too to back his claims.
“We maintain our position that he has to substantiate his statements with physical evidence and documentary evidence if he has,” Albayalde said.
It can be recalled that Advincula had surrendered to police and was presented by Albayalde himself during a press conference last Thursday at Camp Crame.
There, Advincula recanted his allegations in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos tagging President Duterte’s family and close allies in the illegal drug trade and claimed it was in fact Trillanes and the Liberal Party who were the brains behind the videos.
Advincula had been detained by the CIDG since he was facing estafa charges but he was able to post bail. He was released last Saturday.
The problem, according to Albayalde, is that Advincula has yet to get a legal counsel to guide him in the process of giving his extrajudicial confession.
Advincula also has not yet sought assistance from the PNP to provide him a legal counsel.
“We cannot get his statements na kami-kami lang (by ourselves). That will not hold water. He needs a lawyer,” the top cop said.
Since Advincula has not yet issued an extrajudicial confession, the investigators could also not get from him the pieces of evidence he had promised to surrender to authorities.
Advincula earlier said he was willing to turnover his cellphone which allegedly contains the exchange of messages between him and Trillanes’ security aide, laptop, keys of the condo unit in Pasig City which he allegedly used as his safe house during the entire duration of Project Sodoma, and other pieces of evidence.
“We cannot take that away from him without his statements. He shall submit everything if he comes back and we believe that almost probably he will because that’s what he said last time. If ever he doesn’t come back, then what’s the sense of his surrender and appearance?” Albayalde said. (Martin A. Sadongdong)